A/N: *grin* Y'know, I've kept putting this off too long, so long that I want to thank you guys for obviously waiting ((or waiting, forgetting, and being pleasantly surprised into a coma. XD Keep safe, people!)) THIS long. ^^; I really appreciate the feedback and now am doing the whole 'sending out many thanks' move right now! Chachingaling! XD
PS: *eyebrow-twitch* I'm going to be doing a lot of explanations and re-runs of what's happening, for my sake and probably yours, but hopefully it'll be okay to read. Not too boring, not too. . ^^ 'normal'. XD I'm determined to work on this for the next day, so I'm sure I can get the whole START of battle going. Also, I re-read the last chapter and there was some information that was just thrown in. Hopefully you guys didn't catch it, but if ya did- sharp eyes! XD
DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon isn't mine, it's Naoko Takeuchi's, who's a really awesome mangaka that can draw such fragile but strong characters and bring them to life with the touch of her pen. ^^
Infiltration: Really, Really
"Hime-chan, I don't want you to take any risks, okay? If you find yourself in any trouble, anything at all, just call Haruka-papa and we'll be there for you, got it? I don't care if I have to make an earthquake to get you guys out safe, just try to get in, get Ami-chan's mom, and get out, got it?"
Under the light of the full moon Hotaru and ChibiUsa saluted a shap pose and nodded towards their guardians. Hands clasped together the two looked adorably serious and Makoto watched as the Senshi of the Wind smiled down proudly at the two, the tall woman's hand lovingly holding her own partner's. Shaking her head Makoto glanced over at Ami, huddled by the side of the mansion under the cover of shadows and neatly-trimmed bushes, tapping on her portable laptop and scanning the place that they were going to infiltrate.
Get in.
Get the innocents.
And get out.
Makoto shut her eyes tight and shook her head, trying to dispel that sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew it was coming, knew it like she did her own body and because of that she didn't want it to be here, now, nooo. . .!
"Get off, get out, I swear to the Gods, I'm going to kill you, you hear me? I don't ever want you to see my daughter again, I thought you were better than this! OUT!"
There it was again; that condemning voice, that bastard's drunken slurring towards her touching his step-daughter. It wasn't even that that hurt, not that. It had been the betrayal of Kyoune, her best friend, the one who'd made her want, the one who'd made her thought she was needed. . .
"N-No. . .! Kyoune, why, y-you. . .!"
Dark brown eyes glared at her from across the dirty room, the room that Makoto had once gone nuts over after her first night spent over at Kyoune's house. There were clothes on the floor, Makoto realized dimly, and the brunette wondered why that simple fact got even more vivid in the times she remembered.
"Mako-chan. You're horrible, Mako-chan. Why? Why did you do it- I- I trusted you. ."
Reeling back on the bed, Makoto looked down, down at the hands which had been given permission and lust and love to touch Kyoune, to tell her that she loved her, and now HE was mocking her, making her realize it hadn't been HER that Kyoune had loved, but the HELP she'd given to the girl when she'd had nothing, no one. . .
"You're wrong, Kyoune."
Those dark eyes speared into her, and for a minute Makoto saw the shock and fear when Makoto rose from the bed, still wearing her pants but shirtless and sad. Shaking her head, Makoto slowly grabbed her clothes and straightened, looking straight at the girl she'd thought she'd loved, quivering in fear in her step-father's hold.
"You're wrong. You may have trusted me, but you gave me too much, and now you blame me for it. I asked, and I held myself back, and it's been so hard, too long, and now you say this? Kyoune, don't misunderstand. I did love you. But you lied."
Even as Makoto felt her heart breaking, shattering for the third time in her life, the first and second foremost her parents and their death, she'd left.
Left into the summer night's rain, letting the tears fall as the sad rumble of thunder mingled with her broken spirit, its deep crackle splitting the sky as lightning slashed across the clouds and mirrored her sorrow.
It had hurt.
And there was nothing she could do. . .
"Ohohohohooo, wait a minute, ChibiUsa. You two are going with ME! Which is why I ENSURE their safety, Haruka-chan! Besides, with Hotaru-chan here, we'll be a-ok-fiiiiine. Right, guys?"
Jerking about to the present as a crazy Usagi bounded over the exterior of the Mizuno's lawn, Makoto found blue eyes staring at her from across the side of the building. Ami was watching her, tensed, and brunette felt a sharp stabbing pain in her hand. Raising it to look, Makoto wasn't surprised as a small cut from a mini icicle healed. Looking over at her partner, brunette shook her head once and smiled, sheepishly.
Yes, it had hurt, but then this wasn't the time to relive her past. Thankfully Ami was there to notice and help her, and by the look of things the Outers had noticed the event as well, muscles bunched and ready to help her if it was necessary. Ashamedly, Makoto realized she'd never told any of the other senshi about her problem. After this, that was going to change.
Shaking her head, Makoto went over to Ami and gently hugged her, enjoying the slight feel of coolness burning inside her as their Senshi communicators zapped and crackled. Pulling away, Makoto nodded her thanks and looked towards Usagi and Rei as Ami concentrated on her scanning of the hidden traps, a full-blown blush taking over the blue-haired senshi's features.
Usagi's form twitched in the bushes as Rei's hand clapped over their Princess' mouth and Makoto bit back a smile and a sigh. Carefully slinking over to the two, brunette nodded at Minako as the blonde tapped on the window near the pool where Sherona's room was, looking for the red-head to gain entry. Setsuna's knowing red eyes nodded consent as Makoto brushed past the older woman, and Makoto grinned over at the Senshi of Time.
For this mission, there had to be rules.
And with rules came responsibility.
"Meatball-head, we've got to keep quiet here, this is NOT an amusement park where we can all scream our lungs out! For the sake of us all, zip it or find something else to do!"
Makoto winced as her fiery sparring partner gave the blunt reasons to a flailing Usagi and shook her head as she anticipated the wailing cry. None came, though. Stepping aside a bit as Setsuna went past, Makoto watched as the dark-haired woman knelt next to their Princess and whispered something in her ear. With a nod and grin, Usagi got to her feet, and Makoto was struck by how much the two women looked together.
Dark clashing with light, Time with Innocence. . .
"Minako-chan! I hereby give up my rights to lead for one night and you get to be in charge of this mission! Yet for the sake of my originality in doing a really good war move in changing leaders, I demand I be excused from your orders!"
All the senshi chuckled as Usagi snapped a salute and hurried over to Hotaru and ChibiUsa, eyes twinkling as she pulled Setsuna behind her, hands together. The taller woman smiled over at her housemate's amused looks, and Setsuna pulled Usagi close, murmuring to keep near the building so they wouldn't be caught. Minako drew up to her full height and smiled over at Usagi. Waving them all into a group, the Senshi of Love looked serious as now first-in-command.
"There's only one order that I'm going to give, and that's to stay alive tonight, folks! I don't want to be worried about any one of you, so I'm also telling you to stick with your partners. If you don't have one, choose now! When you get to where we're headed, which is Ami-chan's mom, call us on our communicators and we'll try to get there as fast as we can. That goes double for you, Usagi-chan. Hotaru-chan, ChibiUsa-chan, please make sure of that! Haruka-chan, Michiru-chan, Setsuna-chan- please watch over us and make your own choices."
All the senshi nodded as Minako gave them free reign, except for Usagi, her blonde odangos bouncing as she bit back an enraged yowl.
"Minako-chaaaaan! Have you been taking lessons from Rei-chan? I feel like a meatball-head!"
Smiling despite herself, Minako shook her head and turned as the window she'd been tapping on for the last five minutes opened, revealing Sherona's grinning face. The youma's red hair had been tied back in an elaborate french braid and Makoto felt herself nodding at the choice even as she fingered her own dark locks. It was for the sake of battle, keeping anything that hindered her sight out of her eyes, and Sherona looked good doing so. Starting as Minako beckoned her over, Makoto waved and instead headed over to Ami, her partner's blue eyes narrowed in determination as she neared the window Sherona stood at. Blue fuku floated on top of the pool's water, and Makoto had to wonder at her partner's abilities including the blue liquid.
"Ami-chan."
Blue eyes widened a bit as the smaller girl turned, and Makoto gently drew her partner into her arms. Nuzzling into the soft hair, Makoto sighed once and closed her eyes, squeezing tighter still. Ami was a warm ball of senshi, but the taller brunette knew how much attacks from youma could hurt, would hurt, if any of them weren't careful and they got hurt.
"Promise me."
Whispering into the fresh-scented hair Makoto softly held Ami, smiling a bit as the smaller girl nodded and whispered the same into her collarbone. Looking down into those familiar blue eyes the Senshi of Lightning and Thunder breathed in and out deeply, wondering if this would be the last time she'd see Ami.
No.
She wouldn't let that happen.
Drawing her hand up to cup Ami's cheek, Makoto leaned closer and nuzzled her chin, then jaw, then right into her ear. Blue curls shifted over her own jawline, and Makoto giggled a bit, aware of the mission, aware of how much Ami trembled.
"I'm serious, Blue. Promise me, you'll be careful. Promise me, you won't take any unnecessary chances."
A sighed chuckle and Ami gently pulled away, in turn putting her own hand to Makoto's neck and drawing the taller girl down. Blue eyes smiled into green and both could only smile.
"No, Mako-chan, that's MY line. It's YOU who has to promise me not to get into trouble, and I mean it. As the girl who considers herself your partner and as your boss. Remember, I still haven't payed you yet, and that means your services aren't rendered none."
Smiling in spite of herself Makoto nodded and let go. Leaning down and nuzzling the top of Ami's head some more, brunette turned away and went over to a grinning Rei Hino, her fuku already fluttering in the slight wind. Frowning good-naturedly at the fire senshi, Makoto whapped away a pinching hand and turned back to Ami. Her partner shot her a determined nod and whispered a greeting to Sherona as her and Minako slipped in through the hanyou's bedroom window. Usagi and ChibiUsa popped in after them and Hotaru followed, the Senshi of Death giving her parents a small wave as her dark crown disappeared under ground-level.
"Well, Thunder, what are we waiting for?"
Dark eyes flared with fiery determination and Makoto nodded at Sailor Mars, her own element crackling through her like she was a part of thunder and lightning itself. Walking over to the window, Makoto only had time to turn as Rei went ahead, and the brunette watched as Sailor Pluto sent a silent 'Dead Scream' attack into the belly of a watch-man youma, its red eyes sparking red as it let out a shrill death scream and turned into untraceable ashes.
Makoto slipped down after Rei as she felt the tug of her friend's hand, and as soon as she got in she was off after her sparring partner into one of the last three corridors where the last senshi hadn't taken down after.
"Thunder, I think we are officially lost."
Makoto scoffed at the frustrated tone in Sailor Mars' irritated voice. Being a karate teacher had its benefits of strict meditation in the woods and under waterfalls, and Makoto used her training to its full advantage. True, she couldn't sense any other kind of hints as to which corridor they should take now, out of all the drab-colored doors introducing them to empty hallways.
No, correction.
Hallways filled with the sense of lost souls and evil aura, aura so twisted and demonic that it made you want to hurl. Unfortunately for Rei, who was a miko and took on most of the brutal blow of the place. Makoto just sensed the shiftings of lost people and only had to dig her fingers into her palms to ease her unease.
Still. . .
"No, Pyro. We can't be lost. As long as we know which way's up, down, and we're not in an illusion, then we're fine."
There was an unbelievable growl from Rei and Makoto grinned at the miko as the dark-haired girl executed a well-placed glob of spit at the floor. The brunette's grin dimmed when the lights did and Rei's body liquid floated in midair, pointing out the obvious.
"Yes, Thunder. I think we are officially lost."
Rolling her eyes Makoto huffed.
"At least there hasn't been any fighting for any of us. THAT I can tell you."
It was true. In the last ten minutes of succesfully infiltrating the mansion, all the senshi's power levels had stayed even, indicating no one had done any fighting or gotten any bad scares. Given free reign to walk down hallways in the mansion took a toll on Makoto's calm, though, considering the owner could submerge them in any kind of youma horde attack, even if the senshi thought they'd gotten in without being noticed.
"Look, we're not getting anywhere. Let's just heat things up a little."
Finally nodding at the sense in Rei's suggestion, Makoto kept on walking as Sailor Mars let loose a hot blast of fire over her right shoulder, searing the end of the hallway in a purifying symbol. Nothing happened.
Glancing back, Makoto shot a grin at the fire wielder.
"First your spit won't drop, now you can't attract any youma? Pyro, you've gotten a bit. . . rusty."
As expected Rei's eyes narrowed and the hallway's temperature rose a good twenty degrees in good nature. Chuckling at her partner's instant reaction, Makoto waved a finger and added her own brand of sparkling electricity on top of the miko's symbol, making the brand glow. It now wasn't much of a surprise when two youma jumped out at them, fangs bared in dangerous threat.
"Hmmmm, looks like you got more of a rise out of them than I did, Thunder. But watch me fry these pups."
Shrugging Makoto grinned.
"Go right ahead, my pleasure."
With an all-out snarl Sailor Mars let loose a rolling ball of fire, the walls burning and catching fire with each second, youma burning all along the corridor as the ball of flame rolled, engulfing each inch of spare air with fire and gleefully dispatching any youma left. Whistling, Makoto let out a helpful lightning bolt that seared through the flames and sparked along each youma's torso, already half-burnt to death before they flickered once in electricity and convulsed into ashes.
"Hey! I thought you said these guys were MINE!"
Makoto laughed at the miko's outrage, but stopped immediately when she saw the red fire in those black eyes not diminishing in anger. Taking a step back, the Senshi of Thunder and Lightning went from a casual pose to all-out defensive as the Senshi of Fire hurled herself at her, throwing a brutal punch at her midsection.
"Pyro? PYRO! Stop it, what are you doing? We can't fight against ourselves, this is outrageous-!"
"You took my PREY, Kino!"
Makoto blinked, and instantly she let loose a crackle of lightning towards the black-haired woman's midsection. A crazy twirl of that hand with one of her paper taisan, and the brunt of Makoto's lightning was gone.
Her doubt was gone with it, too.
"Oh, as expected of Ami's aunt, huh, Pyro? Somewhere out there, I hope you figure that out before you go all prideful and serious on me. You're a good one, aren't you? How long?"
With a glitter of laughter in those sinister dark eyes, the miko in front of her visibly altared, the skin of her flesh peeling back as well as the whole demeanor. Red heels were kicked off and bared with wicked-sharp claws, and Makoto let out a low whistle as the black hair was kept but whisked back into a spiky mane that shot up in the air at the back of the youma's neck.
Black eyes glittered menacingly, jaw split in a fang-crunching grin, and what stood before the Senshi of Thunder was no longer her best sparring partner. In her place stood a youma towering over eight feet tall, the black and red striped patterns indicating at least some lineage in the beast family of felines. Even at that height the youma was hunched over on two feet, and Makoto was appropriately reminded of a broad-chested being such as a centaur. Clad only in a gender-revealing thong, the youma was an apparent male and had heightened the pitch of his deep growl to Rei's irritated snap.
Smiling up at it, Makoto wasted no time in throwing a lightning bolt towards the ground and ducking under its tall torso and rolling through the wall of flames as the smokescreen filled the large hallway. Experience taught her youma would soon enough block off the entranceways to thing and die fighting than run for their lives.
That consoled her as Makoto's body rebelled against the flickering heat of the fire along her body as she rolled into freedom. Bursting out into fresh air, her green eyes sliced a path through the smoke and Makoto started to run, boots tapping hard against the carpeted floor.
Slamming the button to her senshi communicator on, Makoto zoned in on where Rei was and saw her partner was now engaging what she guessed was her version of Makoto Kino turned youma. Reading the simple map Ami had installed in the communicator during her latest upgrade, Makoto angled her way into a side-corner, then brutally punching her way through a hole in the wall when all she was met with was a dead end.
"Pyro! Have you found anything yet?"
"Only you can be so pissy when all I asked was, that we were lost."
Laughing at the irritated voice on the screen, Makoto nodded as she recalled that was when Rei had started to act wierd.
"Well, your double fried its comrades and got jealous over me happening, so my double isn't the only one who can't take a joke for an answer. I'm coming over there, and we'll try to double up. It's best to stick to our original plan, anyway."
The miko on the screen nodded determinedly before their connection blinked out, and Makoto pounded through another wall just as she saw Rei throw a well-placed kick towards the male youma's privates and burned him to ashes. Walking up, Makoto realized Ami's aunt must be pretty sexist if she thought every guy youma would do better against women senshi. Of course, it would make sense, given the reaction she'd had as to Ami's relationship with her in the first place.
"If you're grinning because you've found a way to Ami-chan's aunt, then spill."
Shaking her head over at the dark-haired miko, Makoto gestured to a wierd belt the youma had seemingly dropped when it had burned to pieces and the brunette knelt as she picked it up. Immediately cold blue eyes seared over the flickering piece of technology and Ami's mom's voice cut through in a terrified cry of pain.
"Flent, what are you DOING?.!"
"See your friend's mom, Kino Makoto? She's in pain because she returned, she's in pain because she cares. But most of all, she's in pain because you couldn't protect her. The same. . . goes for her."
And the belt flickered a harsh blackness and Makoto was suddenly faced with the only family she had left. Rei had to physically restrain her from blowing up the only connection she had with Ami's aunt as Makoto fired up her arms with some very lethal electricity.
"Miki!.!"
"Makoto! She's got bombs and monsters and poisoned arrows in the last three hallways and-"
"Shut your mouth, hussy."
Fire sparked angrily through her system, and Makoto got out the time to yell, "YOU shut up, you murderer, and leave them alone!.!.!" before Ami's aunt calmy turned her icy blue gaze back to them. A wicked smile cut to her face, and before Makoto's sister could even react, Ami's aunt had drew her hand back and let it knock the blond to a bloody unconscious. Fiercely struggling against Rei's hold of her, Makoto screamed with loss.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?.!"
A blue eyebrow quirked, and the woman named Flent smiled.
"I want all of you to work for me against my niece. She's the only one who's a real threat right now, because she can hack into my personal files and alter everything I have. It will be so easy if you do. All of you can rise to the top with the connections I have and you doing anything you want, with me backing you up as your manager. Think of it, no one getting hurt, no one judging you for things you couldn't explain whenever you dredged something up in the future, only to be called away at the most important moments because of a little problem with some monsters roaming the streets. . . All you have to do is make sure little Ami-chan doesn't interfere-"
"Forget it."
The finality in Rei's voice had Makoto looking up from her rage and disbelief at what Ami's aunt wanted, and the miko let the brunette go. It took a moment for Makoto to regain her returned strength, and with a growl she shred the belt to pieces and scrammed it like an egg with electricity before dropping it to the ground.
"We could still use that, you know."
"Ami!"
Blue eyes twinkled up at her, and Makoto had to calm down and realize the blue-haired senshi was looking up at her from her communicator attached to her wrist. Holding out her hand to Rei so she could share, since Rei's communicator had apparently been crushed in an attack with Makoto's youma double, Makoto turned back to Ami.
"Listen, Mako-chan, our communicators won't be hacked for the next four hours since I've got the most advanced their is right now, but my aunt, as you can see, is a very smart woman. Once she finds some kind of interferance signal to come between us, it'll be harder to stay in touch. I think we're near her now and getting closer, but then again I also think the mansion's shifting from time to time. Setsuna-san has been kind enough to hold the secret base to the same spot for a half hour once we find it, but the rest is up to us."
Nodding at what the Senshi of Water told her, Makoto eyed the belt. There was an occasional flicker to it, and the brunette realized what her partner had said when she came on to the communicator.
"You mean we can still use this?"
Holding up the belt, Makoto watched as her blue-haired partner smiled.
"Press the green button and let it scan it. After it has, just press it again and let your communicator do the rest of the work. Since we're still back in our old groups, we can search for where that belt came from and cover more ground."
Nodding, Makoto watched as Rei concentrated on finding the most life from what the belt was supposedly emitting. Telling Ami that her sister had also been captured, Makoto frowned. Remembering what Rei and her had been through, Makoto also told Ami of the chance Minako having a youma posing as her. The blue-haired senshi just smiled and said all was taken care of. Saying goodbye as Rei positioned the belt underneath Makoto's communicator, brunette eyed the screen sceptically as maps flickered across the screen for two seconds, then switched over to another, the corridors and hallways ever changing.
Exhaling a breath, Makoto frowned.
This was all left to chance and luck.
"Hey, Thunder. Don't worry. What's the worst that could happen, we stay in here so long and get so good at beating these youma that all that's left is to blow the place up? I mean, as long as this Flent woman has her captives, it means she can't kill them because we have what she wants, and that's Ami."
Jumping to her feet, Makoto nodded. Turning at the sudden sound of water, brunette wondered at where it was coming from.
"COWABUNGAAAAAAAAA!.!.!"
Gaping at the sight, Rei and Makoto stood, shocked, as the Senshi of Wind and Sky King herself whooped up a large wave and slammed into them with a surfboard and unlimited amounts of swirling waves.
"H-Haru-chan! Ooof! Ryohizu-kun?.!"
Staring underneath them at the onslaught of water, Makoto and Rei quickly jumped on the boards Haruka had produced from behind her that she'd trailed after on the surfboard. Ryohizu's steady grin was recording everything around them, and at Rei's uncomfortable look, the dark green fish flashed a 'click' to know she was being recorded.
"Hey, I know this place like the back of my fin. And trust me, there, Flamester, you're too hot for my liking."
"Ooooh, wouldn't want to have Shero-chan hear that, now would'ja, Ryo-kun?"
"HEY!"
". . . I'm guessing Michiru provided the water and waves?"
"You got it, Lightning! Since I've got the currents under control and wanted to have some midnight surfing, well, Ryo-kun here was nice enough to accompany me to his beloved."
"*blush* Cut it out!"
"Heheh, but it's true, ain't it, Ryo-kuuun?"
"BOTH of you, knock it off!"
All of them looked over at the Senshi of Fire. Rei was pale white, her eyes concentrated on the fire-red board underneath her. They were hardly moving, but the look in her eyes told them it would be bad if they did.
"Here, Rei-chan. Michi gave it to me, she said it eased people's fear of the sea and water."
Dark eyes warily eyed the dark green mash of tangled material that looked suspiciously like seaweed but gratefully took it. Rei put it in her mouth and delicately swallowed. Almost instantly the Fire Senshi relaxed and started to breathe more normally. Nodding, Ryohizu did a backflip in the fast current and took one look at the maps Makoto shown to the fish.
"Ahh, that'll get you lost faster than anything around here. Follow me, I'll lead you to the others first, then we can go to where your sister and Ami's mom are."
Makoto glanced over at Haruka and grinned as she mounted her lightning-green surfboard, making a sharp cut through the waves and playfully splashing Haruka's golden thunderbird with a bit of warm water. The older woman yelped a bit, then splashed her back, and both of them took the short time Rei needed to get her balance and catch up with the two as they took off after Ryohizu's dark form in the water.
""What are you trying to do, Hizu-chan, drown us all?"
"Hey, not my fault I can breathe underwater, half-pint. I'm surprised you haven't found the entrance to the lab yet. You'd think you were twice your age or something."
"For your INFORMATION, the next three hallways will get us KILLED if we don't take it carefully and think this out! The hag Flent actually got past Ami-chan's latest upgrade of her computer, and it's going to take a bit to get it back up where there's no chance of it being hacked in the next few hours because we need all the help we can get once we cross the next line!"
". . . Until then, just rest, guys. I've got to get this straightened out once and for all, and I've knocked out all the security cameras and electronic wires that would trip up traps. The only thing left is to wait and watch for the physical traps she's set."
Makoto tried to calm herself by swishing her long legs in the water, but it only made her green surfboard rock back and forth down the long expanse of the flooded hallway. They'd all caught up with Ami and Minako after ten minutes of playing around and zapping countless youma in the halls with their attacks, Haruka making the waves higher and higher with each whoop. Rei wasn't too pleased, but the potion Michiru had sent along with her partner had eased her fears and sickness. Thankfully Ryohizu had the upbringing of being so tested upon back in the past that he didn't have to worry about most of the youma and senshi attacks in the water and could avoid most of them, given his lithe form and lightning-fast swimming.
"Hey, Mako-chan."
A sweet voice called her name, and the brunette glanced over at the woman sitting next to her on the surfboard. Smiling over at her partner, Makoto raised an eyebrow in a silent question. The Senshi of Ice smiled back and pressed a button on her computer, making sure everything was going fine.
"Miki-chan's gonna be fine, you know that, right? So is my mom, and nothing my aunt will do can stop that fact."
The smile in those blue eyes was the one thing Makoto knew Ami would never lie about. Glancing at the others, Makoto sighed once and gently took the hand that had found its way to the middle of their seated positions. Drawing it up, Makoto carefully intertwined their fingers and enjoyed the blush that came to Ami's pretty face.
". . . I honestly felt that there could have been some way to spare your aunt, Ami-chan. I mean, she's of obvious blood-relation, and look how you and your mom turned out to be."
A finger found its way over her lips, and Makoto tried to fight back the blush that threatened to drown her if she payed any heed to her instincts by catapulting herself backwards into the water to get away from Ami's touch. Not that it was bad, by any means, just. . . distracting. Distractions at times like these were never a good thing.
Yet when?
"Mako-chan. There's no way. And I know. I've given her all the chances in the world. I've watched her mercilessly kill people, Mako-chan. Maybe not by herself, but definitely by her own hand. Give her any kind of reason, any opening that you may feel pity for her, and she uses it, Mako-chan, uses it to her own benefit. It wouldn't be as bad if it were a needed thing, but she. . . she enjoys to kill."
Looking over at her blue-haired partner, Makoto frowned. Honestly considering the hand in hers, the Senshi of Lightning drew Ami's chin up to stare into those blue eyes. So honest. So pure. Yet. . .
"Ami-chan. . . You've killed now. Youma, I mean. And yet. . . I have a feeling you just do it for the sake of living, for protecting. Why can't she? Why can't we all?"
The smaller girl blinked, then smiled. Makoto pulled away, a bit puzzled. Ami rearranged herself, reaching up and tapping her nose once and then drawing her in a hug. On instinct Makoto tensed, but then reacted by squeezing Ami tight as the blue-haired genius pulled away and pushed herself up on the board. Looking down at her, Ami shook her head.
"Because it would be too easy."
Turning to the rest of the group, the Senshi of Ice truly lived up to her title as she directed them, drawing them into a tight ring and making sure all of them knew what kind of traps were on the other side and that nothing was a done deal.
And Makoto wondered.
Even as Ryohizu and Sherona took on the head of the group and led them into the very heart of the mansion itself. The mansion that they were destined to blow up or die trying.
A/N: HA! XD So I DID add in the 'blow up the mansion' part! XD Maybe NEXT time it'll happen. Maybe. *laughs* I know, I know. More suspense, the sky's the limit on suspense, but I have to recollect thoughts, problems they STILL gotta go through, and unlike my others, I want this major problem to be resolved and maybe still keep the fic going. ^^; Big plans for this? No, but I'm trying to make it get by good. =3 I'll explain more later, and hopefully, more surprises. ((*laughs* Yeah, I know, you're saying, "What surprises? This is all outright right NOW!)) XD Thank you so much for reading after so long, merry holidays, take care, jaaaaaa! XD